SAMPSON COUNTY’S ONLY WEEKLY NEWSPAPER NORTH CAROLINA'S GREATEST f WEEKLY NEWSPAPER - rrrr<»m VOL. 17. NO. 22. CLINTON, N. C, THURSDAY, JUL1 H ->v TWO DOLLARS A YEAR DUNN IS BIDDING - FOR TRADE ROM Chamber of Commerce of Har nett Town Seeks Expansion In This Territory TOWN’S GROWTH IS RAPID Community Was a Struggling Village * a Few Years Ago, and Many Samp sonians Remember When It Was Only a Cross Road By BYRON FORD Its too bad that Atlantic Coast Line officials did not move their drawing ruler about half an inch toward the bottom of the map when they plotted the right-of-way for the Wolson Snort Cut which was to connect Contentnea Junction with Fayetteville by steel rails. Had they, Dunn—really a Samp son county town—would have been in Sampson as well as of it; for that busy metropolis of Harnett is made up largely of Sampson folk and gets from Sampson a large part of its business that gives it reason to boast that it is the “best town under the In this issue the Chamber of Com merce of Dunn has caused to be plac ed four pages of matter designed to attract more Sampson trade to that town. The organization points out Dunns advantages as a trading cent er and invites all of its neighbors of Western Sampson to use these ad vantages to the profit of themselves and of the town. Dunn is a remarkably good town. Clinton can remember when it was an upstart of a little village, straggl ing in the muddy fields that lie be tween Mingo Swamp and Black river. Clinton remembers when it first was given a start; it recalls how, with amused tolerance, it watched the lit tle burg attempt to hoist itself into townhood. No one here dreamed that within thirty years after Dunn declar ed herself to be a town she would be giving lively competition to Fayette ville and leaving Smithfield and Clin ton behind in growth. Sampsoniana Built Town But, Dunn has come through hand somely. It is gratifying to Sampson folk to remember that it was largely the work of their kinsmen that put Dunn in its pleasant place in the sun. Most of its early business men, its lawyers, bankers, builders, and man ufacturers were—and still largely are —Sampsonians. Sampson has given largely of the braiins and brawn and wealth to make Dunn a good town. So Sampson, naturally, is proud, of the little city claiihed by Harnett but more truely a product of the land of the huckleberry. For the benefit of those of The Independent readers who are not fre quent visitors to Dunn and who are not familiar with its growth, its wealth and its beauty, it might be stated that Dunn has church property valued at more than half million -dollars, school property valued at nearly half a million; that it has one - i> fthe finest water and sewerage sys tems in the State; that its principal thoroughfares are paved with asphalt; that it has scores of homes that are valued at from $15,000 to $60,000; ' that it has considerably more than 150 mercantile establishments. Has Large Cotton Gin Dunn has what is said to be the largest cotton ginning plant in the United States; the General Utility Company, owner of this plant, owns also a storage warehouse which acco modates 12,000 bales of cotton; it has one of the largest farm implement * factories in the South, a large furni ture plant, one of the eountrys largest lumber manufacturing concertos, an oil mill, a fertilizer factory, several woodworking plants and numerous smaller manufacturing concerns. In addition to*its own manufactur ing enterprises, Dunn is materially ' aided by the great Erwin cotton mill enterprise at Duke, less than four miles from Dunn and connected by a hard surface Toad. With the mills this : distance from town, Dunn enjoys all theadvantages of the presence of a cotton mill with .none of the disadvan tages. - These mills are .among the largest in the South, operating about 80 000* spindles and supporting more than 4,000 people. But Dunn takes greater pride in its cotton market than it does in any oth ( er par^ of its industrial life. It is said l that this is the largest wagon market ""'■In the State—that is, more cotton is sold by the farmer in Dunn tlgm ip any other North Carolina town, up , ward of 80,000 bales are sold there ' ■ each season. Altogether, Dupn is one of the liv «st of Carolina’s good town. * -IT DR. DUNCAN PASSES STATE BOARD '• The Dunn Dispatch under a July 25 date line says; " t Stacy Allen Duncan, son of Mr. and ‘Mib. N. G. Duncan, R. 4, was among -the 109 medical students who passed ...the State board of examiners and was licensed to practice medicine recent ly. Dr-Duncan graduated from Tulane .‘University, New Orleans, last spring. Me is at present serving-as interne •t the City Memorial hospital, Win mton-Salem. ' ■ • * *■ 'P-t'-fit PRAISES PAPER Dr. K. D. G. Watson of Winston Salem was a visitor here Friday. Dr Watson is the manufacturer of Nu bians. He stated while here that of all the county weeklies he has visited in the state none compare with the Sampson Independent, as an adver tising; medium, with it 4,TOO circula tion. ^ City Policeman and U. S. Marshal -Are Ambushed While Attempt ing to Serve Papers Wilmington, July 29.—Riddled with bullets, the bodies of Leon George, veteran prohibition agent of the Wil mington police department, and Sam W. Lilly, deputy U. S. Marshal, were found on an isolated ropd four miles from Pheonix, Bruswick county, at 110:15 o’clock tonight. George was crumpled under the steering wheel of the car, shot through the head and body, while Lilly was sprawled in the road by the side cf the machine. , George’s Airdale dog with six bul lets in its carcass was found in the rear seat of his automobile. The weapons of both officers were in their pockets and had not been fir [ ed. The bodies were discovered by a posse sent out from Wilmington short ly after 8 o'clock tonight on receipt I of news that George and Lilly had j been shot by bootleggers. | First news of the’ tragedy came in i the form of a telephone message from | Pheonix to the effect that a negro had j reported hearing 25 or 30 shots fired | and had seen the bodies of the wound | ed officers at a distance. | Headed by Sheriff George C. Jack | son and Chief Lane, of the police de ; partment, a hastily formed posse im j mediately set out for Pheonix. At ; 10:30 Sheriff Jackson reported to po I lice headquarters that the bodies had : been found. | At 11. o’clock an additional 100 men had been hurried into Brunswick I county to joip in the search for the j slayers. ' George was 52 years old and had | been a member of the police force for 25 years- iFor. the past^ ..three | years he had betwaasigtted actively | to prohibition enforcement work, his | efforts in this direction having been widely exploited in motion picture j news reel. He was unmarried. ! Lilly was about 45 years old and is j survived by a wife and several chil Horn Doaies were piercea witn out lets fired at close rangeland George's police dog was also found dead in the car. The posse, consisting of 50 po lice and county officers, went armed with riot guns to meet any exigency. The two officers left Wilmington : at 2:30 this afternon, Lilly telling friends that he was going to serve a paper in connection with prohibition j case near Brunswick . | Nothing was heard from them after ! their departure from the city until | the brief telephone message at 8; 55 I saying that it was reported that they | were killed. | As was customary when making forages in bootlegging communities, the officers used Lilly’s automobile, George’s machine being considered \too well known among the lawbreakers to be of service. When the bodies were found at 10 o’clock, they had apparently been dead for several hours, the fact that the road bn which they were traveling being an infrequented trail through the river swamps accounting for the fact that-' they were not discovered sooner. Lilly three months ago shot and killed Jimmy Hill, negro bootlegger in a gun battle near the scene of to-, night’s tragedy, a coroners jury later exonerating him from the killing on the grounds of self defense. Up to midnight reports from the scene of the tragedy are meagre, a rural phone line between Pheonix and Wilmington, a distance of 15 miles, being the sole means of communica r EAMILY OF TEN ether is Already Dead, and Rest «f Fryar Family is in Serious Condition 1 Tyhpold fever reached epidemic stage last week in the home of Peter Fryar, colored, living on the Harvey Dawson property in North Clinton township. The entire family of ten have been afflicted with ,the disease, and the wife and mother of the child ren ^ied Saturday from its effect. The typhoid appeared several days ago, and soon the 'entire family wob badly infected. County health officers were called, and every effort has been made to wipe out the disease before it spreads further. The Red Cross has taken charge of the case* and has a parse on duty, with sufficient sup plies to care for the strikes family. Specimen of |J»e ease eras Mat; to *. r».«. AUGUST TERM OF SUPERIOR COURT HOLDS ATTENTKffl Trial of W. F. Ssesoms Attract ing Wide Attention Over State ANSWER MURDER CHARGE June Faircloth Will Be Charged With Death of Willie Matthews—Judge Frank A. Daniels To ^ Preside The August term of Superior Court, which opens here next Monday, bids fair to be one of the most widely at tended sessions of the superior body held in this county in many years, Two cases that have attracted wide attention are slated for trial, and in dications point to record interest in From a general standpoint, the case of the state against Mr. W. F. Ses soms, clerk of the superior court, is ranking high in interest. Much has been said and written over the state regarding this case, as is usually the case when a public official gets into the limelight. The second hearing that is attrac ting is the trial of June Faircloth, held in the county jail since May 4 on a charge of killing Willie Matthews on the night previous. It is intimated that Faircloth will make a strong fight for freedom, and a hard fought case is anticipated. Judge Daniels on Bench Hon. F. A. Daniels of Goldsboro will preside at this term. Hon. John A. Powers, solicitor, will represent the state, and in some cases will have assistance. The Sessoms case is the results of indictments returned at the last term ■ of court, in which the Sampson offi- | cial is alleged to have forged certain ! signatures in order to cash state pen sion vouchers. While only three indict ments were returned, it was intimat ed that there are other 'instances which may be dragged into court dur ing the hearing. Solicitor Powers will be assisted in the prosecution of the Sessoms case by special counsel for the state. It is reported-that ex-Judge E. K. Bryan of Wilmington will aid the state, and also that Mr. Humber will be sent from the state auditor’s-office to aid in the prosecution. Due to the fact that the funds alleged to have been mishandled eminated from the state, and were pension vouchers for Civil War veterans, the state officials are j said to be taking considerable interest j in the case. i Little Information Available Very little information has been di vulged as to the charge pr the de fense. Those back of the original in dictments claim that the present case is just a starter, and that in case they fail at a conviction at this term, they will have additional charges at a lat er term. It is also rumored that, while the first attempt at a trial will be made in this county, in case the state does not feel that the matter is being heard satisfactorily, the subsequent hearings will be transferred to anoth ed county. Mr. Sessoms, on his part, has had very little to say of the case. There have been several rumors afloat that he was about to resign, but.these have proven groundless. His defense will be handled by a large array of legal talent, as practically every Republi can lawyer in the county has offered his services. Chief among his coun celors are Messrs. Butler and Herring and Fowler, Crumpler and Butler. Faircloth Case Attracts The June Faircloth case undoubted Iy, will draw much of Western Samp son to the court rooms, as both men ’were well known in that part of the county between Salemburg and Autry ville. The killing, it was alleged at the preliminary bearing here May 13, was brought about by Matthews tak ing Faircloths wife to Fayetteville, returning shortly before midnight. The husband met the party, which, in addition to Matthews and Mrs. Fair cloth, included Bill Hudson, Mrs. Mat thews and Miss Lula Fann. Faircloth, it is said, will atempt to prove that his assault was provoked, and that in the fight that followed, he. killed his former friend and land Mord. The state will contend, on the other hand, thatthe killing was pre meditated, and that lie had laid in waiting for the party and assaulted Matthews with deadly intent. In addition to the above cases, these are the usual run of minor cases, in cluding many growing out of raids on stills and other violations of the | prohibition laws. Raleigh . to the state health. authori ties and all doubt as to its being ty phoid removed in this manner. It is thought that the trouble started from one of two wells pn the property, and the county health officers are examining these water sources now to determine their condition. • - Innoculation against typhoid has, been going on for some time, but there are still thousands who have not taken advantage of this insurance against the disease. Such eases as the above one emphasise the need of this treatment, and prove the great value of the health service now available. * -v-» -• • - • FOUR SMS AND ME MEN TAKEN . • ■ ' County Officers Close up Four Booze J Manufacturing Plants in Scattered Raids Officers of the county and city forces have been busy of late accord ing to the reports of raids made in the last few days. In each case they have been successful in getting a still and in some the operators. In the last few days Officer Honey cutt, aided by F, M, Tew made a raid on a still fn Westbrooks township whichwaa alleged tohave belonged tp, Clio Kornegay. The still, which was of 65 gallons capacity, and ih full blast when the officers arrived, and 4 gallons of wiskey and about 150 gal lons of beer were destroyed. Korne gay, who was taking wood to the still, was taken into custody by the offic Another raid was made by these officers last Sunday night in West brooks township when two men, three and one-half gallons of whiskey and an automobile were taken. The men were Ken Edwards, who it is report ed had one-half gallon of whiskey in his 'possession, and Chris Westbrook, who it was found had three gallons of the alcoholic drink in his house. The mem were tried Saturday morning before Justice L. S. Bell and were bound over to court, Edwards’ bond being $300 and that of West brook being $500. On Tuesday of last week a party of men consisting of A. M. Faircloth, F. M. Tew, R. Fann, and M. J. Ms Lamb captured a still in Mingo town ship on Little Coharie According to the report of one of the members of the party the still, which was of thirty gallons capacity, was one of the filth iest outfit he had ever seen and all the utensils were in as bad condition as the still. The apparatus was des troyed and one-half gallon of whis key and 70 gallons of beer were pour ed out. They were not able to get the men who operated the still. Officer E. K. ines, assisted by a deputy from Dismal township captur ed a still in that section the latter part of the week. The operattors were not captured. The still was destroyed and several gallons of beer were your ed out. " MRS. MOORE HONOREE . Mrs. Paul Moore' of Mebane, a re cent bride, who was spending the week with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dr C. Johnson, was the guest of hon or at a lovely bridge party given Thursday afternoon at the R. H. Hub bard home, when Misses Celeste Hub bard, Elizabeth Morrisey and Annie Ajman were joint hostesses, The veranda where tables were arranged for cards, was decorated with a pro fusion of summer flowers. .Bridgej Was enjoyed at three tables. The high score was made by Miss Thelma Johnson, who received a bottle of perfume. Mrs. Moore was presented a silver sandwich tray. At the con clusion of the games a tempting course of refreshments was served! The guests playing included Mrs. Moore, the honoree; Misses Lucile MTynne, of Birmingham, Ala,; Ethel and Mildred Herring, of ThornasviUe, Gtu; Elizabeth Kerr, FlorenT-e Smith, Thelma Johnson, Margaret StevenSr Blanche Dyson, Mary Dixon -Hines, Mildred Fleming, Elizabeth Fairdoth Emily Sessoms. MISS PARKER ENTERTAINS Miss Mabel Parker is planning a small bridge party later in the week for her house guest Miss Mary Neal Daivs of Gastonia. GEORGE W. BASS DIES George W. Bass, a well-known Sampson county citizen, who lived about 8 miles east of Dunn, died sud denly Sunday morning July 20 about 9:30 o’clock at the home of his daugh ter, Mrs. Wesley Thornton. The Bass family had gone to Mrs. Thornton’s for the day, having arrived there on ly ten minutes before Mr. Bass suf fered a stroke pf apoplexy and drop ped dead. He was 76 years of age. Mr. Bass is survived by his widow, and ten children, six boys and four girls, three youngest being members of his second family. Mr. Bass was a member of the Sav annah Hill Free Will Baptist church and was a consistent Christian and a kind neighbor. The funeral was conducted from, his home Monday afternoon anl inter ment was made, in the family burial plot.-' '■*-'??***■*-, Dunn Merchant Says His Business and Etire Town Due to Use Of Publicity “Well, without advertising, the Goldstein store still would be the lit tle enterprise it was when I started it here twenty years ago—and this in spite of all the effort we have made all the service we have given, all the values we have offered; in spite of all that my associates and I have done or could have done to attract trade to our store.” That is the opinion expressed by Ellis Goldstein, Dunn merchant, when he was asked ;\“What have you got teri out of advertising.” Goldstein is one of Dunns most for ward-looking business men. He has been a strong factor in the town’s growth since he came there, a youth, twenty years ago. Many of Dunn’s greatest improvements in recent years are there largely because of his intitiation of and active support of the movements which brought them. He was one of the oganizers and for many years the president of the Dunn Chamber of Commerce; he helped to organize and is business manager of the Dunn Fair; he was, as long as he wanted to be, a member of the board of commisisoners, and as such aided materially in financing the projects which gave the town sewerage, paved streets and adequate water and pow With all this, however, he admits that he could not have made a success of his private business had he not been a liberal user of printers ink in his home newspaper. The Goldstein store spends many hundreds of dol lars annually for newspaper space— almost as many hundreds as the whole Goldstein stock cost in 1903. And the store finds it profitable. Goldstein’s recepe for success in business is simple . "First get the store, good goods, fair prices; add the maxiipun of service, make your store attractive. Then advertise to the limit. Trade will come and it will stick just so long as you continue to advertise ! and live up to the advertisements.” I The most successful ■ advertisers are those who have attractive stores, [competent help and adequate service. These are just as important, he con tends, as are prices and goods—but quality and price'must not be neglect ed, if it is, the buyer will be quick to find out. Be square with your cus tomer; sell goods as advertised—ant advertise all the time. Business is bound to come. Mr. E. K. Hines returned Frida' from a short visit with his brother! in Florence, S. C. SftrSBfc ■V' $$&**&* SAYS COHON IS TO BE BIG CROP Mr. James K. Hudson of Western Sampson Says Farms in His Sec tion Are Good “I’ve got one ofthe best crops of cotton and the very best crop of corn that I have ever had.” So said James K. Hudson, farmer, who lives in Western Sampson close to the Johnston and Harnett lines. His admission is refreshing at this time when all town folks and most farmers are giving voice to a calami tous ;wkil fivey the alleged condition of* crbps“$hiierally'. said' that aU crops in' his part of the coun ty were in excellent condition; that the cotton fields surrounding him would produce about a bale to the acre and that corn would yield a phe nominal harvest. True, there are parts of the county in which crops have suffered terrib ly, Mr. Hudson said, but the larger part of Sampson will produce its nor mal yield, he thought. ' Always at this season of the year crops are “totally ruint,” if one lis tens to those who have forgotten how to smile. If it isn’t too much rain, its too little; i fthe weevil isn’t on the. job, it’s some other pest. Always there are those who would bear dowrt upon the farmer and make him feel | that starvation is just around the j corner. | This year many parts of the State ; have suffered heavily from excessive [rains. The same is true of a very j large part of the American cotton belt. Where there hasn’t been too ! much rain, there has been too little, or the weevil has played havoc with the plant. But, for the most part of this locality, conditions are not near ly so bad as they have been heralded. Really, representatives of large cotton factors say, it is well that the crop has been shortened by provi dence. Had conditions for cotton growth have been any nearer ideal, they say, the South would have pro duced an unprecidentedly large crop and prices would have gone to smash. As it is, prices probably will hold up above thirty cents. NARROW ESCAPE IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT Mrs. Harris and Miss Katharine Wooten, of Kinr.tm, miracuously es caped death wh n the car in which they were riding, skidded and turned completely over on the White Lake road, about ten miles out of Clinton late Tuesday afternoon. Mrs. Harris was driving at a mod erate speed, when the car skidded; swerved and ditched itself, upside down, and headed in the opposite di rection from which she was going. Both occupants of the car crawled out, unhurt. The top of the car was completely wrecked. Roscoe Butler, who was driving a short distance behind Mrs. Harris, and other passerbys hastened to them and righted the car, wljich proceeded on to Clinton. Mrs. Harris and Miss Wooten returned to Kinston the next morning. MRS. BARRUS HOSTESS Mrs. C. B. Barrus entertained a group of the younger set at a beau tifully appointed dinner Tuesday evening at her home, complimenting Miss Iva Shelbourne, of Greanvivlle who was to have been her guest Mrs. Shelbourne was motoring tt Clinton and had car trouble and die not arrive until the following day Covers were laid for Misses Anni Aman, 'Elisabeth Kerr, Messrs. Man ley Boyette, Bill Russell and^&rjsdj Robinson. ’ V, ' - \ Tom Host Says LaFollette Boom Hits Democrats Harder Than it Does 6. O. P. NO DEBATE IS SCHEDULED Report That Meekins and McLean Will Stage Argument Denied_ Water Terminal Plans Have State Undecided . i •1 By W. T. BOST Raleigh, July 31—Special to The In dependent—Supererogatory assurance of machine newspapers that when Colonel Ike Meekins, Republican nom inee for governor, flings out a Phil istine defi, Israel will give no heed, has been sent out. These papers hear that Colonel Meekins will challenge A. W. McLean They hear further that Republicans £ have been doing these vain things all these years. It is news to Colonel > Meekins who never has had any no tion of asking Mr. McLean into a . 3 joint harangue. The Pasquotank w»n -y* is a good sport. He has spoken with '’2 Mr. McLean. In Elizabeth City they were put into speaking position and spoke. The local papers could not H write the story without considerable ;.j$ effort. The Pasquotank statesman is a master orator. The Robeson candi date is not gifted in spech. The Aaron ic finesse of the Elizabeth City song bird would be distinctly too much for $ Mosaic pragmatist of Lumberton. j Just what the Republicans will do ^ [ they have not said. They are pleased with the campaign to be made. Thus far all the schismatics in North Caro lina have been Democrats. The Repub licans are truly keeping cool with •:'? Coolidge. To make the legend right, they are Keeping Cool-idge. The De mocrats have a possible slogan. They could have Wheel with Wheeler. They had counted on the Montana trust buster and friend Roxie Stinson and Gaston Means to help them. They were going to glorify Wheeler and his part in the oil probe. But can’t do it now. Meanwhile, every person who has apostatized to the' LaFollette and I Wheeler.ticket, is so far as any prom |hsnwi gs^ ytEMtiSriCtabor,edi- '.-4 |tor,Jim Barrett was pnce * Repubii ! can, but he has been a Democrat 12 • a4. years. Preacher Jimison, Dr. H. Q. • V*3 Alexander, J. F. McMahon and E. C. Fr.ires, more or less prominent in the ' farmer-labor group, are all Demo-. ^ crats. They are put down as followers -’i of Wheeler and his chief. That is bound to make the vote of Colonel Meekins and the National Re publican ticket relatively more signi ficant than it has been in a long time. v There are many Democrats i whose • names will not get into the papers who are threatening to jolt the regu lars and to join LaFollette and Wheel- ,t| er. It isn’t so satisfactory a situation * - | as it promised to be in the spring. The ReDublicans pan afford to wait Fight Against Boat Plan And now after a spurt of great en- * thusiasm for boats and terminals by legislative fiat rather than by refer endum, the few days intervening he-* tween this week and the special see- }| sion promise to produce a real fight on the administration’s program. Governor Morrison’s gesture to- ■1iS]£ ward a referendum several Week* ? ago so mystified the public that it de- : 1 jcided to sit down quietly in these dog | days and await the executive’s ' ; {triumphant tour over the state. No- '•< body cared to fight three months when by a simple reference of the bill J to a plebiscite would beat it. Lindsay Warren of Beaufort, Pat Williams of Pasquotank, Sumner Bupgwyn of Northampton, Clayton Moore of Mar- ' | tin, and Ned Parker of Alamance would fight this thing to death, hot they did not care to fight until it bo~ ■ | came necssary. Now it dawns upon the folks that there never was any purpose to have j a referendum. What were the factors working in Governor Morrison’s mind nobody knows. The blasphemous said S he wished to keep himself before the ypz public. But he said he didn’t. He had ;|| urged that a plan of such magnitude as this should be carried to the people direct. But the people will beat it. ; *| Hence the eastern chanbers of com merce have Organized the propaganda fof the ports terminals and they have - . - ■ t tom the opposition all to pieces. : Governor Morrison undoubtedly had the fight won a week ago. It seems :’yi probable that he can still beat the rc actioharies, but the movement for leg islatives acclon became too open, too S patent, too obvious. It was devolved too rapidly. There is a reaction. It ' •: ray amount to nothing but w\Upsr *. compaign has ret in. That’s hard to J beat. The story goes through the rapt % tal that if tho fight develops the an t >gonists of adminstration mca- j sure will make argument that finane- 5 tog the boat. measure is impossible without raising taxes either from in come's or from torn1 And they regard . that as very difficult, hot to mention the danger of it. < And as' a hope of accomodating their difference*, there jn some ad vocates of a special election Oh this . port, and terminals measure. Thera are several amendments set for the regular election and these in always (Continued on Page 12) fc t